An Appeal to the President of Pakistan
By Anila Ali
Irvine, CA
My best compliments to you Mr. President on your address to the nation on January 2nd, 2008. Nevertheless as a citizen and lover of my country of birth, Pakistan, I deem it my duty to tell you Mr. President that the action taken by the government of Pakistan for peacekeeping after the death of Benazir Bhutto was much too late and ineffective. As a commando and former head of the Pakistan Army, I had hoped that you would deploy the army in full strength to maintain law and order but this was not done promptly which let miscreants loot and plunder. On the night of Benazir’s death, I drove from the Aga Khan Hospital to Clifton and I spotted only two Rangers standing guard from Shahrah-e-Faisal up to Clifton Mazaar! There was one police truck witnessing the burning of the BATA stores at Schon Circle. On the second day, I noticed that the Rangers and armed police were very few in numbers compared to the mushrooming arson and loot which engulfed the city of Karachi.
A government which cannot guarantee its citizens peace and safety forfeits its claim to its allegiance. This is the basic principle of Western democracy and a keynote point in the grammar of politics. As the President of Pakistan, I expect our President to take prompt and effective measures befitting a brave commando and deal with the miscreants with a heavy but just hand.
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